Rene Harrop’s excellent Last Chance Cripple, demonstrated so well by Eric Austin in the FOTW some time ago - http://www.flyanglersonline.com/fotw/2009/fotw20091026.php - uses CDC as the wing material, as many of Harrop’s flies do. Have any of you used a floating synthetic material, such as Widow’s Web or poly yarn, instead of CDC? I know the movement of the wing on the water wouldn’t be as natural as CDC, but it certainly would be easier to tie and to deal with after a fish or two.
Thanks,
Joe
Craig Mathews uses a zelon wing on his Royal Wulff Cripple http://www.blue-ribbon-flies.com/shop/royal_wulff_cripple and Wally Wiese ties his Grey Haze Cripple with a Float-viz wing http://www.youtube.com/user/ParksFlyShop#p/u/19/oyloVBa5kY0 I’ve tied some up and they work well.
Regards,
Scott
I have used Zelon, Poly Yarn, Widow’s Web, Sparkle Emerger Yarn and Hi-Vis…Anytime a pattern calls for CDC for flotation, I try and find a way to use this instead:
http://whitefoxfurandfeatherco.bravehost.com/FLYTYINGSUPPLIES.html
That Royal Wulff Cripple, from Craig’s Shop,which was created by Rowan Nyman, is a killer…
PT/TB 
Planettrout beat me to it. Snowshoe is my first choice for a substitute as well, but no reason why Web Wing or Polypropylene, Emerger Yarn, etc. wouldn’t work just as well.
Of course if your replace the CDC with deer hair, you have a Quigley Emerger…